


Yesterday's Scars

by VTheTrashKing



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Crest Experiments (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Demonic Beasts, Eavesdropping, Feral Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Time Travel, Kidnapping, M/M, Memory Loss, Mentioned Golden Deer Students (Fire Emblem), One Shot, POV Third Person, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Spoilers for Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:49:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27283708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VTheTrashKing/pseuds/VTheTrashKing
Summary: After the events of Remire, the leader of the Blue Lion House, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd goes missing. After an unspecified amount of time, all three Houses receive a startling mission from Rhea - to defeat a Demonic Beast rumored to bear the Blaiddyd Crest.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 68





	Yesterday's Scars

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I believe I've been hit with burn out as this fic is actually NOT completed, and I had zero motivation (haha) to write. 
> 
> Either way, please enjoy this fic, my lads!
> 
> On the Three Houses side of things, however, I have made it my mission to get Dimitri to level 99 - he is sitting pretty at level 74. Nothing can touch him, and it is GLORIOUS. I have plans to solo the final map with just my boy Dimi, dude deserves the payoff.

Claude von Riegan knew with each step he took towards the Audience Chamber, the more his stomach twisted into a thick knot. His heart beat loudly in his own ears, too quick and just a hint uneven. Claude was a schemer, a blackmailer at times, and most importantly, to his peers, an eavesdropper.

None of the students just quite knew _why_ they were all headed to the Audience Chamber. At most, they would figure it was a mission.

Only Claude had an inkling. Mounting theories that he both hoped could be proven false or true.

It was about three days ago, where he stood against a wall and listened to Rhea and Seteth. An undercurrent of anger and disgust laced in her voice, a serene image broken by what he heard. Seteth sounded uneasy, scared, even. Claude really couldn’t blame him for that.

They were talking about Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, after all.

Dimitri.

Much like Flayn, Dimitri went missing after the Blue Lions took care of Remire Village. 

He hadn’t returned since.

To the students uninvolved with rescuing Flayn, many believed the prince ran away. On they went back to their daily lives, much like almost everyone else in Garreg Mach.

The three Houses initially started a search party, but they quickly realized their efforts didn’t bear much fruit. The _single_ lead they had was from the Blue Lion House. As the flaming chaos of Remire began to die down, Tomas, rather _Solon,_ Warped right in front of them, instead of _away._ He held Dimitri by the back of his neck, threatening to kill him if his lions got any closer. Oddly enough, Felix mentioned having a sense of deja vu, almost as though this deadly hostage situation had occurred before. The moody swordsman looked sick to his stomach, then, that angry mask of his shattering. 

Claude overheard plenty in the coming months. The hushed whispers coming from Edelgard’s room, cursing a group all to hell. Hubert suggesting “they break ties” or kill “them,” knowing someone was listening in. 

Claude’s mini investigation of the Blue Lions hardly got him anywhere, but it hurt his heart. The prince’s childhood friends swore up and down that Dimitri was alive. Except Felix, who wholeheartedly believed he was dead. At first, Claude thought Felix would be _happy_ about that, judging by the venom and tension that soaked his body and expelled whenever Dimitri was near him. He was wrong, apparently. Felix took a steady nose dive, training and training and _training._ He stopped eating, stopped coming to class, refused to go on missions, and swatted the hands that reached out for him. The only person that managed to keep Felix somewhat grounded was Sylvain. He shut out everyone else who tried, even Ingrid. The other Lions didn’t take Dimitri’s disappearance well, especially and unsurprisingly Dedue. 

But- _but_ Rhea and Seteth’s conversation gave Claude something to work with. It wasn’t _anything_ positive, he deduced as he listened on, bile rising to his throat once his brain flooded with theories that _shouldn’t_ have held water.

A name to a group, perhaps the very same Edelgard seemed to despise. Agarathans. The blood taken from Flayn, Seteth’s voice going nearly _shrill_ with panic as the dots began to connect half way through their little talk. Solon’s experimentation on the Remire villagers, turning them into bloodthirsty monsters. The Chapel. That run down chapel where the bodies of Demonic Beasts withered into rotten flesh and bone, revealing the missing students of Garreg Mach. Claude had a feeling Captain Jeralt was supposed to die there.

Rhea brought up Miklan, a man turned monster by the Lance of Ruin. In an ironic twist of fate, as a Demonic Beast, he received the Crest he hated and yearned for. In turn, Seteth name dropped the Wandering Beast.

Then, the words that made Claude’s heart drop into his stomach.

A Demonic Beast sighting. A hulking, mindless animal wandering near Magdred Way, a _Crest_ flaring brightly on its skin like a haunting star. Smaller than normal, unpredictable in nature, either ignoring the people that came across it or-

_Or_ killing them on sight with vicious strength.

A dagger nicked at his stomach, piercing the organ as if it dropping like a training weight wasn’t _enough._

The Demonic Beast was rumored to bear the Crest of Blaiddyd. 

Claude _was_ friends with Dimitri. At first he was stuck between chipping away his perfect mask or running for the hills. The dark pools in his azure eyes scared him, it intrigued him. It was an abyss and for the sake of knowledge, Claude took the plunge, sinking and sinking. He feared he would drown, that massive inky pool swallowing him up, unable to escape once he got too close. Claude sunk further, nearly reaching the bottom. He let himself fall deeper because he _saw_ something, he saw himself holding out a hand, begging to be seen, to be _heard._ Piles of ash littered the ground, becoming the floor, and the tar-like abyss turning into the midnight sky. All alone, Claude saw him, a little blonde boy huddled into a fetal position, staring right at him. A circle in the sand was drawn, separating him from Claude, but not the tortured screams and wails that plagued the sky. Even as a child, Claude was a little shit, so Claude decided to kick away at the circle, a cheeky smile on his face. He sat beside the panicked little boy, ruffling his hair. That boy hiccupped, crying as he asked if they were friends.

They were.

And Dimitri was gone.

But, somewhere in Claude’s heart, even if it was at war with his brain, he knew.

Dimitri was alive.

He was _alive._

_Wasn’t he?_

Claude was ripped from his endless thoughts by the sound of Rhea’s voice.

“As for today, we have called you all here to inform you of the next mission. I have already notified the Professor, especially of its urgency. As some of you may know,” Rhea’s calm, still water eyes landed on Claude, “there have been reports of a Demonic Beast aimlessly heading towards Garreg Mach. If such a,” Rhea’s eyebrows furrowed, “if the beast manages to invade the monastery, the students’ lives _will_ be in danger.”

To Rhea’s right, Seteth nodded, a deep frown marring his face.

“The Demonic Beast is no ordinary monster. Whether the rumors are unfounded or not, it would be imperative to stand on guard. It bears the Crest of Blaiddyd, making its towering strength all the more deadly,” Seteth’s stern mask was ripped off, a dark and pained look settling on his features, “ _please._ You must remain vigilant, each and every one of you. That is all I will ask of you.” 

The Blue Lions looked ashen at the news. Dedue’s agony was palpable, his muted green eyes seeming haunted, while his jaw clenched. The trio of childhood friends closed themselves off and peeled off their own unapproachable disguises. Ingrid balled her hands into tight fists, dark green eyes drilling holes into the pristine floor. It was akin to a viper coiled up and ready to kill out of pure distress. Sylvain’s honeyed smile and crystal rose petal words died out. The honey was quick to turn into pessimistic tar, and the petals threatened to shatter on the floor, only stopped by Sylvain holding onto them before they could drop. Felix, and _Felix_ was stripped bare, looking older, his pain running raw over every surface on his body. An old scab getting scratched at, bleeding and bleeding, failing to heal. He kept muttering things to himself, things that sent a chill down Claude’s spine. His voice went out like a blown candle, weak and frail. 

“Could I have stopped him? Could I have saved him?”

Felix’s next musings knocked the air out of Claude’s lungs. Beat him over the head with a brick.

“Gronder shouldn’t have happened. _Arianrhod._ ”

Nothing _happened_ at Gronder. Nothing.

So why did it feel like spider lilies bloomed into his heart, festering like maggots wriggling through his flesh? 

Why did he feel like mourning a loss?

It didn’t matter. Whatever phantom pain lingering in his chest didn’t matter.

Claude just had to focus on the mission. He just had to think with his head instead of his heart, even if it meant gaining a self-inflicted stab wound when he’d kill the Demonic Beast.

* * *

It didn’t remember much. It merely had a blank slate of a mind, not capable of even the most basic of thoughts. Sometimes, there was a spark, emotion fluttering in a cage of butterflies. It was _sad?_ It was sad watching little yellow birds fly off into the sky, or an orange-red fox wandering alone in the woods. Then, the cage was covered by a thick cloth and the butterflies were left forgotten.

It only had one goal, at least it remembered that.

It wanted to go home. Home was a long way from wherever it started. It didn’t want to remember where it started.

Hurt coiled around its massive body.

Too much pain.

It remembered screaming for a long time, being chained, hearing twisted cackles from inside its cell. A stab to its right eye, thrashing and convulsing in agony. Then, it shifted and forgot whatever it used to be.

It only knew what it was _now._ A Demonic Beast. A helmet born from pitch black metal, along with the braces clinging onto its thick gray arms. Its claws and spine dipped in midnight blue. 

It didn’t understand why it looked like that. It only remembered searing heat and a loud ripping noise.

The Demonic Beast slowly looked to its left, staring blankly at the trees through its bulky helmet. It began to walk, heavy, thundering footfalls leaving imprints in the forest floor. 

Something was wrong. The clean air of the woods became stained with dozens of strange scents. Pitter pattering of tiny feet marching closer, the sounds getting eerily loud as the clouds continued to roll by. 

Humans were here. To kill it, it knew. They always seemed to run away screaming or try to fight it. The ones that fought it ended up dying, covered in blood and gore, bodies torn apart. Sometimes, it let them live, wanting to feel the pain of being alive. Lances poking at its scarred skin, swords slicing its body akin to a paper cut, flames launching towards it, a flicker of a hazy memory once the magic attack burned.

It didn’t like the scents. Familiar in a way it could not understand. Sword oil, pine needles, honey, metal-

It _didn’t_ like them. The scents overwhelmed the Demonic Beast, a faint, distressed roar leaving its covered maw. _Fear_ tingled into its empty mind as the scents grew nearer. 

Then.

The humans showed themselves. 

Dark blue hair and piercing eyes. Clad in black, steel bow aimed at the Demonic Beast’s chest.

Brown hair and a flash of gold. The human’s grimace looked strange. The human should have been smiling.

Snow white hair and twin purple ribbons, an axe pointed low to the ground, gloved fingers wrapping around the silver handle.

Red hair like roses and the warm colors of falling leaves, maple brown eyes staring straight at it. Yellow hair woven into an odd rope, rain lining the human’s pine green eyes. Narrowed gold-brown eyes, heavy rainfall dripping down the corners, inky blue hair tied loosely, unlike whatever face the human was making. The human kept screeching something at it, voice running dry as thunder violently hummed against their clothes. The other human, the tall one with white hair couldn’t bear to look at the Demonic Beast.

It had to run. It _had_ to escape. 

The Demonic Beast reared back, taking a step back. Then another. Five more. The humans gave chase, quickly surrounding it. Words fell from the dark blue human, gritting their teeth. An orange haired human’s palms glowed yellow. A red sigil flashed under a gray haired human. It vanished as soon as wind ripped through the trees, sending the human upwards. The human firmly held onto a bow, but the human’s scent shifted to rotten apples. Regret. A snap of glowing fingers, and the arrowtip took on a brilliant flame. The arrow flew true, piercing the metal helmet and flames quick to burn part of it away. The human shot yet another magic arrow, melting the helmet off completely. The Demonic Beast shrieked, the echoing noise making the human’s ears bleed.

Up close, the Demonic Beast could see dots crossing over the human’s nose like stars, pale green eyes widening as if the human knew what it was. It could have killed the human then, knocking the archer out the sky, watching the human crash into the trees into a pile of gore.

It couldn’t. 

Every cell in its body _screamed_ not to. 

The Demonic Beast let the human be gently carried down by the fading winds. A yell caught its attention, the noise akin to a shot in the dark, an echo through a tunnel reaching its eardrums. Its lone glowing eye tracked the source of the sound and its white canvas of a mind created a rough outline.

A devastated human watched the Demonic Beast, keeling over and screaming as though the monster ripped the human to shreds. The human shakily rose to their feet, tightening their grip on their sword.

The human-

It-

They- he-

His piercing glare looked familiar. Uncanny. The rain trailing down his cheeks hadn’t been shed in a _very_ long time.

The Demonic Beast stilled at that. How did it know the human dried his eyes? 

What was happening to it?

Why was this happening? 

_Who._

_Who is-?_

_Who is this?_

“ _DIMITRI_!”

The boy’s voice sounded like shattering glass. The initial impact akin to a gut punch, spiraling out into a delicate spider web. The shards littered the floor, waiting to be picked up or left alone.

The Demonic Beast was confused, slouching as it stood still. Scared.

A rumbling noise left its throat, backed in a corner, unable to escape. Pinned by reddened eyes and a desperate voice. The human dared to step closer, much to the alarm of the others.

“ _Tell me-!_ Tell me that it’s _you,_ Dimitri! Please, _please._ You have to be alive!”

_Dee-me-tree?_

_Who?_

The Demonic Beast’s brain cracked, a word filling its empty head. 

_Friend. Friend. Friend._

A boy that rained, holding another’s hand, following a red haired boy with a happy smile. His fragile beating heart became encased in dense stone after a sword and burnt armor came home. 

The Demonic Beast lowered its body, standing on its forelegs. It slowly opened its jaw, a vicious line of flesh rending teeth and a long dark tongue. The humans started yelling, scents morphing into rising terror.

The Demonic Beast licked at the boy’s hair in an attempt to comfort him. The boy made a wet, disgusted noise, trying and failing to shove the Demonic Beat away. The boy stared into its good eye for a long while. He turned towards the rest of the humans, a declaration falling from his lips. The blue human’s eyes flashed with determination, while the brown haired human looked doubtful. 

The humans were on the Demonic Beast again, fragile little mages circling it. Ocean blue eyes tiredly staring at it, a spark making those eyes seem alert. Forest green and tendrils of long dirt brown hair, a black cap twisted to the side and dipped down. Clear blue blazing like a wildfire, a grimace instead of a grin. Pale pink drilling holes into its lone eye. Sharp haughty purple narrowing in unwavering concentration. Terrified dark chocolate eyes and prominent eye bags, ever doubtful and full of pain. Light purple eyes levying the beast with a gentle yet sorrowful glance. The raining boy glared daggers at the monster, yelling out a vow.

“I _won’t_ let you die! You hear me, boar?!”

A massive golden sigil flared under the Demonic Beast. It roared, standing back up and outstretching its arms. It reared its right arm back, aiming a punch towards the ocean eyed human. The _second_ it tried, bright gold light flashed and pulsed over its arms, forming cuffs around its wrists and legs. The glowing cuffs were linked by transparent yellow chains that brought the monster down with a harsh thud. The Demonic Beast howled, thrashing against its binds, growing frantic with overflowing terror as it _couldn’t_ escape.

The last time it was surrounded by mages, it was turned into this. Close to death.

_No-!_

_No! Let go, **let go!**_

The humans raised their arms towards the Demonic Beast, palms glowing a bright yellow. A wounded noise rumbled out of its mouth, whimpering as its efforts became futile. Emerald eyes pinned it further to the ground, pacing towards the Demonic Beast. The human bathed in gold and black watched the beast, simply standing. The human slowly walked closer, taking careful steps towards the restrained Demonic Beast. They didn’t aim their bow, only gently placing it onto the forest floor, directing a wobbly smile at the monster.

“I’ve got you, don’t worry, Dima. I told you I’d be there for you, didn’t I?” 

The human’s voice was shaky, disbelieving. 

The human’s green eyes were warm like the sun, the light binding its limbs. Those eyes were so bright and the monster couldn’t bear to glance away. The Demonic Beasts’ paws twitched, unable to reach the sun before it. The human let out a soft laugh, eyes crinkling. 

“I’m here, Big Cat.”

The Demonic Beast relaxed, its eyes giving off a fainter glow as they shuttered close. 

“Diamai!” The humans yelled like a battle cry. 

A _powerful_ Faith spell seared the Demonic Beast’s thick skin, piercing the scales. The golden light seeped into its body, gradually covering every inch. It _screamed,_ writhing in pain and slamming its tail into the ground.

_Stop! It hurts._

_Stop._

The Demonic Beast’s massive glowing form steadily shrunk, turning more into a human-shaped blob of light. The Faith spell fractured like a cracking eggshell until it completely broke into transparent shards. The glowing shards morphed into floating yellow dust, dissipating after ten seconds. 

The sigil below its body went away like the wind, and so did the chains. It tried to stand up and failed, collapsing back onto the forest floor. Messy yellow hair was in its face, but it couldn’t do much about it. It tilted its head up, staring at the scarred pale skin of its paw. It dragged the pad of its paw down, feeling crumbling dirt and small twigs. Its claws were unusually tiny and blunt. 

There was a shift of movement and the Demonic Beast snapped its head up. Its unkempt, matted hair fell from its face, revealing a pair of azure blue eyes. Its right eye was left permanently blinded, with a jagged, nasty scar around the skin. Its pupils dilated, bare chest heaving with every uneven breath it took. There was a _loud_ thumping inside its chest, beating fast like a hummingbird’s wings. 

It frantically met the gazes of the humans, something inside of it twisting at the equally terrified look on their faces. A few of them stepped ever closer, the raining boy, the fall colored one and the human with the yellow rope for hair. The Demonic Beast hissed, rolling over with a small thud and crouching on all fours. It bared its teeth, snarling and scrunching up its snout. Saliva oozed from its mouth.

It would be killed here. Why else would these humans weaken it like this?

It couldn’t fight in this body, it couldn’t even _stand._

It would die. 

The Demonic Beast wrenched out a guttural, weak noise from its throat. The humans drew in closer, led by the dark blue one. Most of them started to rain, making the Demonic Beast feel _odd._ It didn’t like the rain they shed. They didn’t kill it yet, merely standing in place, watching it.

The Demonic Beast hunched over, trying to hide its face away with its paws. At the sounds of crunching dirt and twigs, the monster flinched.

“Nn-”

The humans all stopped, almost at the exact same time.

“No!”

It knew running wouldn’t end well, not when it felt so weak and sick. Not when these humans could easily catch up with it and kill it on sight.

A new thought plagued its mind.

What if the humans wanted to capture it instead? Hurt it as much as they wanted? Turning it into some kind of _pet?_

It happened before, in that musty, bloodsoaked cell.

The Demonic Beast stared the humans down, a bright blue light searing onto the side of its neck. The one with emerald eyes stared back, warm and inviting. The human outstretched their hand towards the others, putting a stop to their frenzied movements. The jewel eyed human watched the Demonic Beast for a moment, clearly thinking. Narrowing their eyes, the human began to hum as they steadily approached the Demonic Beast.

It whimpered, a phantom of a memory itching at its brain. Curled up in a bed, weeping and holding onto a human, listening to a wordless song. 

Before it realized, the green eyed human stood right in front of it. The human plopped to the ground, sitting cross legged. The Demonic Beast tensed up, rearing back from the human.

“Hey there.” 

The Demonic Beast didn’t respond to the human’s slow and quiet voice. The human was undeterred by that, unbothered by its anxious silence. They smiled at it, a gentle and patient thing.

The peace was broken when the Demonic Beast shot straight up, narrowing its eyes at the smell of metal. Its pupils slit, eyes trailing down towards the human’s left boot. It hissed, flexing its paws and curling the strange digits. The human blinked, tan face colored with surprise as the human gave a weird laugh. The human locked eyes with the beast, their left hand carefully reaching for its boot. The human slipped a dagger out from the boot and the Demonic Beast growled low in its throat.

“Always so perceptive, aren’t you?” The human asked with a bit of humor.

The Demonic Beast tracked the dagger in the human’s hand, baring its teeth. The human cast a glance at the weapon, shrugging before chucking it away. The Demonic Beast warily eyed the discarded dagger, then back to the human.

“No more daggers, okay? They’re all gone now.”

The Demonic Beast merely blinked, sitting with a slouch and relaxing. It made a chirping noise.

“Are you hungry? Cold?”

The Demonic Beast looked down at its stomach, then to its arms. Tiny dots prickled at its skin, raising the hairs up. It looked back up, tilting its head in confusion.

“I think we can give you something to eat later, don’t worry, my friend. As for the cold, I can solve that little issue.”

The human unbuttoned their long black uniform jacket, leaving behind a plain white shirt. They gently draped the uniform over the Demonic Beast, watching it swaddle itself into the cloth. The Demonic Beast lightly shook its head, closing its eyes as it cocooned into the warmth with a trill.

“There we go.”

The Demonic Beast’s nostrils softly flared at the scent worming its way into its nose. Sharp spices, pine needles and musty, old papers. It smelled nice. Familiar. Its eyes reluctantly opened as the human spoke again. They seemed to like speaking.

“If you don’t recognize me, I can give you a re-cap. So, I’m Claude, the leader of the Golden Deer and the keeper of Lorenz.”

Claude.

It didn’t remember that word.

“Cl-”

Something like hope flashed in Claude’s eyes, making the Demonic Beast continue.

“Caah- Clo- Clood.”

The Demonic Beast _knew_ it got the word wrong, but Claude smiled brightly, regardless of its mistake.

“Clood.” 

“Yeah, you got it, Dimitri. Good job!”

It did not, but it would gladly take the praise. 

Claude made it feel safe.

Yes. Safe and warm.

The Demonic Beast listened to Claude ramble, not exactly understanding but chirping at the smile on the human’s face. It wanted to copy that smile, but didn’t know how.

So, instead, the beast made another decision. It stared at Claude’s hand, watching the appendage dance as the human gestured. Claude caught its gaze, stopping his movements. The Demonic Beast crouched on all fours again, leaning forward. It inched its head towards Claude’s palm, staying still for a moment as Claude’s hand hovered near its face. 

The Demonic Beast’s eyes flicked up to Claude’s face, holding his wide-eyed, shocked stare. It slowly blinked, nudging its nose into Claude’s palm.

_Claude is-_

_Claude is my friend._

The Demonic Beast pulled away from Claude’s hand, falling into his chest and passing out.


End file.
